"Most similar devices are built on Arduinos, but the PocketSprite is running on an ESP32 and has a 240MHz dual-core processor. And with 520KB of RAM, it’s got more than 10 times the processing speed and memory of the most powerful competitor."

"PocketSprite supports the GNUBoy emulator for both Game Boy and Game Boy Color games. SMS Plus emulator support has been added, so you can add both Sega Game Gear and Sega Master System games to your library."

"Back when i was but a wee bairn my tiny hands would struggle to wield the heft of a Game Boy or a Game Gear. Now that my hands are the more traditional adult size, someone has only gone and built a console emulator for my fists of yore."

PocketSprite crowdfunding successful! You can now purchase yours from pocketsprite.com.

Play all your favorite games: Game Boy, Game Gear, and more. Play it,
put it down, and pick up right where you left off. Adding new games
and apps is a one-click cinch.

PocketSprite isn’t just tiny, it’s incredibly playable. It’s not a
gimmick - it’s a full featured emulation console that fits on your
keyring.

And, more importantly, it’s more than just an emulator: it’s also
full-featured, open source development platform.

Meet PocketSprite

PocketSprite is an ultraportable gaming and emulation
console. It’s been engineered to be highly playable, easy to use, easy
to update, and designed to let you pick up where you left off, and put it down
again.

For Gamers: Relive Retro Gaming in Your Pocket

If you spent all your pocket-money on AA batteries, dreamed of falling
blocks, or have a soft spot in your heart for rectangular controllers,
PocketSprite is for you. Throw on your favorite games in a click and fill
in the otherwise wasted moments of your daily transit.

For Hardware Hackers: An Open Source Dev Platform

PocketSprite is a great gaming console in a tiny package, but look
under the hood and it’s so much more. It’s an open source, mature
development platform that features a full-color, high-contrast OLED
screen, sound, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, storage, and an internal rechargeable
battery, all wrapped in a beautifully crafted yet rugged ABS
case. PocketSprite’s open source toolchain and robust bootloader make
development a snap. Say goodbye to re-inventing the wheel. Say adieu
to bricking and JTAG angst. Say hello to rapid development on your
favorite new hardware device.

For Coders: Write Games & Participate in Our Coding Challenge

If you have a hankering to write games you can play and share on a
real system, you’ll love PocketSprite. Or, if you fancy your hand at
coding challenges, you can participate in the PocketSprite coding
challenge
and perhaps walk away with the €1000 prize!

Give It to Me Short and Sweet

Very tiny – fits on your keychain, but still totally playable

Plays all Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Sega Master System, and Game Gear games

Instant resume let’s you pick up a game exactly where you left off

One-click-upload via Wi-Fi for new games / software / updates

Rechargeable battery gives hours of gameplay per charge

High-quality build with tactile buttons and adjustable volume and brightness

How It Works

We’ve spent an embarassing amount of time making this thing perfect
instead of doing our day jobs.

We’ve wrestled a highly flexible, tiny microcontroller into submission
and we’ve written some fairly great code to give you a superb gaming
experience and snappy framerates. Turn it on, pick an emulator and
ROM, and you’re off. Flick it off because your boss / teacher /
partner is glaring at you, and when you turn it back on, you’re right
back where you were.

Want to add more ROMs, other emulators, or your own programs?
PocketSprite’s update mechanism is simplicity incarnate: it makes its
own Wi-Fi hotspot, and you upload your new apps in literally one click.

Why It Exists

PocketSprite is the result of a collaboration between passionate
hardware hacker Jeroen (Sprite_tm) and fabrication fanatic Steve
(kx). Initially a side-project of Sprite_tm, geeks, gamers, and
the console generations were captivated by the tiny device. Here’s
Jeroen talking about the genesis of PocketSprite at the 2016 Hackaday
Supercon:

We decided to invest our time and money into iterating a side project
into a high-quality product that anyone will be proud to own. Our
motivation was simple: this thing is just too cool to not exist.

There’s so much packed into one tiny device. PocketSprite’s not just a
pocket-sized gaming device; it’s an open source, highly-capable hardware
development platform.

We want it in the hands of as many people as possible, because we
believe that whether you’re a gamer, developer, tinkerer, or anything in
between, PocketSprite will bring you endless hours of fun.

Game Selection & Adding ROMs

PocketSprite comes pre-loaded with two emulators,
GNUBoy and SMS
Plus, that allow you to
play every single game on the following platforms:

Nintendo Game Boy

Nintendo Game Boy Color

Sega Master System

Sega Game Gear

When you’re tired of the pre-loaded open source games, uploading a new
ROM is literally a one-click process. It’s done
over-the-air. On Windows, Linux, Mac, or Android, no cables or drivers
needed – just connect to PocketSprite’s Wi-Fi network, upload the ROM
through PocketSprite’s web interface, and you’ll be playing.

PocketSprite has 16 MB of internal storage. Of this, 2 MB are used for
the operating system and game emulators. The remaining 14 MB can be
filled with game ROMs – how many depends on the size of the ROMs. If
your ROMs are small (e.g., 64 - 128 KB), then you’ll be able to fit
hundreds of games on your PocketSprite. If they are bigger (e.g., 1
MB), you’ll only be able to fit ten or so. Of course, you can always
use the WiFi connection to change ROMs at any time.

Comparisons

Don’t these things already exist? Absolutely, in many factors and
forms, right back to your original AA-eating “Pocket Sized” handheld.
We’ve tweaked and tuned the PocketSprite to be what we believe is the
best of all worlds. Check out how it stacks up:

Fully-assembled & Kit Versions

The PocketSprite comes in fully-assembled or kit versions. Most of you
will want the fully-assembled version, but if searching for tiny, tiny
buttons in the carpet is your idea of fun, we’ve also got you
covered. (And we even throw in a few extra buttons.) So, even if
you’re not a hardcore hacker, you can still have the chance to see the
guts of your PocketSprite before you snap the case closed. No
soldering or special tools required.

Manufacturing Plan

Manufacturing a PocketSprite is a fascinating process, involving multiple
resources. It can be broken down into a few base elements:

Component Sourcing

Electronics Production

Housing Production

Assembly, quality control, and Logistics

Component Sourcing

Reliable sourcing of genuine components is challenging. Between
genuine, genuine-but-out-of-tolerance, good clones, and downright
fakes, knowing what’s under the epoxy is often hard.

We only buy from suppliers that we’ve got an established relationship
and proven track record. For the MCU, we’re buying directly from the
manufacturer. For other components, we order from Digi-Key in the US
and then import them to China, to ensure that our devices are genuine.

The MCU is a custom build that is built to order, so this part has at
least a 30-day lead time and an imposing minimum order quantity (MOQ).

Electronics Production

There are two elements to electronics production: manufacturing of the
PCBs themselves, and then the actual
sticking-of-components-with-molten-solder, known as printed circuit
board assembly (PCBA). PCB production is essentially a commodity
product in Shenzhen. We use our preferred partners for PCB production,
so we can be confident we are getting the highest quality silk-screen
and ENIG finish from factories that are ISO certified and keep the
nasty chemicals in check.

Our PCBA factory is modern – everything is automated. Solder paste
application, component pick and place, etc. are all taken care of. Once
through the production process, devices are visually inspected, and
then the manual components (screen, speaker, and battery) are placed.

Each finished PCB goes through 100% electronic testing. We have a
custom-built testing jig attached to a Raspberry Pi that does flashing and
testing all at once. The boards are sandwiched into the jig, the jig
is closed, and then the RPI detects the board, runs initial electronic
tests, and begins the flashing process.

At the end, all components are tested, and the board passes or fails
inspection. Failed boards are repaired, and re-tested. Passed boards
are wrapped in anti-static bags, and delivered to the assembly
factory.

Housing Production

Behind nearly every single plastic product that exists, there’s a huge
chunk of steel (the mold) that was brought into existence via etching,
milling, and electrical discharge machining (EDM). PocketSprite has
three such steel molds: one each for the case itself, the
screen filter, and the buttons.

We’ve spent months iterating to ensure perfect injection flow and a
high quality output. Not all molds are the same: they range from very
cheap (and bad) to very expensive (and good). Cheap molds are
typically made from aluminium or cheap carbon steel, have poor
tolerances, low iteration counts before breaking, and inconsistant
injection flows, resulting in weak or ugly plastics. We invested
significantly in high-quality molds built on Swiss CNC machines and
finished on EDM machines. Each mold has a life cycle of over 500,000
iterations. These investments mean that your case won’t fall apart,
and buttons won’t stick.

When it comes to actual production, we properly warm the injection
molding machines – typically the first 100 shots are discarded to
ensure that the final product is perfect. Likewise, we use only 100%
new ABS beads to ensure the highest quality.

Assembly, Quality Control, and Logistics

The factory that produces the casing also provides assembly and
quality control in their dedicated research and development
department. PocketSprite will have a dedicated assembly line with
dedicated workers. Assembly is a fairly straightforward process, but
it’s also a time where we perform 100% quality control again to ensure
every product out the door is perfect.

The assembly line has an identical testing jig as the PCBA factory,
and each circuit is tested before being placed into its case. Once
assembled, PocketSprite’s built-in testing routine is booted up. Each
button, the screen, and the speaker are all tested to ensure there are
no loose connections or sticky buttons. Everything is cleaned, placed
into our custom packaging, and then packed into outer cartons. We’ve
done a few trial assembly runs, so we’re confident that the process is
smooth and efficient, and that the products are of the highest quality
we can possibly make.

Once packed, everything is dispatched to our warehouse, where they are
processed and shelved, ready to be picked, packed, and distributed.

Shipping & Fulfillment

Warehousing and fullfilment is provided by Geodis Hong
Kong – a warehousing solution through which
we’ve sent over 5000 packages over the last 6 months. We primarily
send everything through Hong Kong Post (EEX), Singapore Post (RAM),
and DHL Express. Everything is tracked, from warehouse to your door.
It’s important to us that shipping is done right – nothing is worse
waiting for a package that never arrives or fighting with your post
office. We’re using tested carriers that will get products safely and
quickly into your hands.

FAQs

We’ve compiled a list of the most frequently asked questions about the
project. If you’ve got further questions, we’re just an email away -
don’t hesitate to reach out.

Storage Space / How Many ROMs?

The amount of ROMs you can store in the PocketSprite depends on their
size. PocketSprite has 16 MiB of flash, of which about 2 MiB are taken
by the OS and emulators. The remaining 14 MiB can be filled with ROMs
if you so desire. You can fit more than 100 smallish (128 KiB) ROMs,
or ten or so large (1 MiB) ROMs.

However, the Wi-Fi interface allows you to quickly and easily add and
remove ROMs in one click, so management is never a problem. Likewise,
you can remove a ROM, but chose to leave its ‘state file’, meaning
that if you ever place the ROM back on the device, your game-state /
progress will still be there.

Turbografx/PC-Engine emulator?

A TurboGraphics emulator should be doable, although it’s hard to
predict how many of the additional TurboGraphics peripherals it would
support. However, at the moment, there is no emulator in the works,
although one might be ported in the future.

Are there any binary blobs on the device?

Our microcontroller is the ESP32. Currently, its BlueTooth and Wi-Fi
drivers are not available in a source form. As such, The Chooser (the
app that displays the main menu as well as allows you to upload new
applications) is thus not 100% open source, for reasons outside our
control. Apart from that, the emulators, the bootloader, and the rest
of the Chooser are entirely open source; the emulators and SDK are
already released on https://github.com/PocketSprite. (Note that we
will release the chooser and bootloader later on, and that the SDK is
not in the final form we’d like – it’s good enough to compile the two
emulators but we’d like some better APIs and documentation for others
to use.)

Does PocketSprite include a Game Boy Advance emulator?

Sorry, at the moment we do not have a GBA emulator for PocketSprite.
In theory, someone could try to port one over, but looking at the
requirements (mostly memory-wise) for such an emulator, we do not
think one will be ported anytime soon.

How long does PocketSprite take to charge?

PocketSprite should take about an hour and a half to charge when the
internal battery is entirely empty.

Is it possible to add an NES emulator to PocketSprite?

Technically, it is possible to add a NES emulator to PocketSprite, and
we may actually write an implementation for that. However, keep in
mind that the NES screen resolution is a fair amount higher than that
of the Game Boy - while NES games probably technically run fine, the
graphics may be too tiny and scaled-down to be recognizable.

How do save-games work?

When the device is shutdown, the game state and game SRAM is saved in
snapshot form on the device. This allows three things:

Instant resuming where you left off when you turn on PocketSprite

Resetting of the device without losing save games

Removal of ROM without removing the saved game. If you place the ROM
back on later, you’ll still have your saved games/states.

Where are the products dispatched from? Will there be customs charges?

PocketSprite will be shipped to backers directly from our Hong
Kong-based logistics provider. Typically, the monetary value of the
device means that it will not be subject to customs or import duties,
but this is subject to your country’s regulations.

Is it too small? Does it hurt to play?

We invested a lot of time, money, and testing to ensure that the
device is very playable and comfortable. There were several iterations
of button style, height, feeling, and material to ensure reliable and
comfortable gameplay. The button mechanics are chosen not to be too
hard to press, and the buttons themselves are rounded on the
top. While everyone’s fingers are different, during development and
testing of the software and hardware, we never had any issues with
painful fingers.

Risks & Challenges

Manufacturing is difficult: the greatest challenge is selecting the
right production partner. If you don’t have local contacts or pick a
factory off Alibaba, everything can go wrong very quickly.

We’ve been manufacturing in China for over 20 years. We have visited
the factories hundreds of times. We personally know the owners of our
chosen factories. We’ve gone on holidays together. We’ve drunk
countless liters of tea together. We know and trust each other.

This formula has worked to bring dozens of products to market, and it
will work with PocketSprite.

We invested months on-site making sure everything is perfect:

Selected, tested, and iterated over a dozen screens and speakers to find the perfect supplier and components.

Personally built and delivered the programming and testing jigs to the PCBA factory to ensure each device is 100% tested.

Went throught no fewer than five iterations of building and tweaking the case molds and coatings to ensure a perfectly playable product.

We’ve simplified our supply chain to two factories:

Printed circuit board assembly

Final assembly:

in-house case molding

PCBA + case assembly

packaging

quality control

…which reduces the risk of Things Going Wrong. On-site, our contacts
are personally invested in the product, to ensure that the product
delivered is of the highest quality.

We’ve performed pre-production runs to iron out the kinks, and have
warmed up the factories to ensure that we’ve got guaranteed production
time for when we pull the trigger.

The schedule has been padded sufficiently to allow for things to go
wrong, and for China’s frequent holidays.